Astor Bake Shop

Grabbing a burger at a bakery may seem unusual to most, but at Astor Bake Shop, burgers, beers, wine, and a dinner menu accompany the macaroons, éclairs, and tarts that decorate the pastry counter. In fact, Astor Bake Shop may just as well be known for their burgers as their desserts, having graced reviews for their beef on Serious Eats and other blogs.

Located in a part of “Old Astoria” I had never quite ventured into, Astor Bake Shop is worlds away from the concentrated Astoria food scene dominating 30^th Ave and the surrounding avenues. Instead, the bakery is located in a quiet part of town, which adds to the charm of this quaint bake shop. The interior of the maroon paneled storefront reveals a fusion of bakery and coffee shop. Décor is minimal, letting the space speak for itself. A white tiled floor holds dark wooden tables, perfect for long hours of laptop work, or a meal amongst friends. The back of the bake shop houses all the bakery equipment and kitchen, while the front holds the pastry displays and coffee counter. Astor Bake Shop proudly serves Stone Street Coffee, which is a micro roaster based out of Brooklyn. Owner-chef George McKirdy brings with him impressive experience at NYC favorites Nobu, Butter NYC, and Café Boulud, to name a few.

interior

pastry counter

coffee bar

pastry selection

Having heard rave reviews of the infamous Astor burger, a group of friends and I decided to try Astor Bake Shop for dinner. The lunch and dinner menu at Astor Bake Shop is the same, and consists of burgers, sandwiches, mac and cheese, fries, and salads, with a few featured specials each day. Being a party of six, our group settled on four Astor Burgers, a Croque Monsieur, the Slow Baked Chicken Sandwich, and Garlic Herb French Fries.

The Astor Burger comes served with Astor Bake Shop’s coleslaw, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and the signature Astor Sauce, on a challah bun.  The burger lived up to its expectations, with rave reviews all around.  Suggestions for improvements were that the special sauce was too scarce and therefore, not very noticeable, and that the coleslaw on the burger was really cold, throwing off the temperature of the whole burger. The Garlic Herb Fries were a table hit, as everyone enjoyed the super crispy and  perfectly seasoned garlicky fries.

Astor Burger

Slow Cooked Chicken Sandwich

Astor Burger

My Croque Monsieur was filled with black forest ham and Swiss cheese, served on brioche bread. As a sandwich, it served its function, however as a Croque Monsieur, I thought it needed improvement. The sandwich to me was more a cheese sandwich than a genuine Croque Monsieur. I had the most amazing Croque Madame (which is a Croque Monsier served with an egg on top) once in a café in Paris, and have been desperately trying to find (or make) an equivalent here in the States without much success. When I saw the menu featured the Croques, I immediately knew I had to have it. Coupled with the fact that the chef-owner has a background in French cooking further sealed the deal. However the Croque Monsieur I had was more of a grilled cheese with ham, and one served limp and cold at that. The nature of the brioche bread itself doesn’t hold up as a bread that should be crispy and grilled, resulting in a soft, buttery sandwich. I thought it could have been served warmer, as it was cold when I received it, and it could also have been a bit hearty with more ham and cheese. Sandwich aside, my dish came with a side salad of shredded cabbage, almost like a cole slaw but without the mayonnaise. The dressing was tangy, and while at first it threw me off, I enjoyed it.

Croque Monsieur

While my friends and I were too full to order dessert, the pastries in the display case looked enticing. I would definitely go back to Astor Back Shop to try their popular brunch or stop by for some coffee and pastries. I loved the atmosphere of the establishment, and while its location is a ways off, it is worth the commute. Astor Bake Shop is the type of café where you can sit for hours undisturbed, enjoying your coffee and the calmness of the bake shop. It is definitely a refreshing change from the Euro-pop cafes lining 30^th Avenue that blast techno all day and night.

The Queens Kickshaw

I had been curious to try The Queens Kickshaw for a while, having seen the much hyped about establishment on various blogs, articles, and media outlets since its opening this past March. The Queens Kickshaw specializes in fancy and alternative grilled cheese sandwiches, but upon my recent visit, I discovered it also has a fine and impressive selection of coffees, teas, sodas, cider, and craft ales.

The Queens Kickshaw

Knowing that The Queens Kickshaw was mainly a grilled cheese shop, and a popular one at that, I waited until I could go for lunch during the work week, when I thought it would not be as crowded as a weekend afternoon. The place is simply decorated, yet amazingly beautiful.  High ceilings reveal vintage tiled molds, with ironwork and lamps surrounding the perimeter of the space.  Rustic light bulbs hang from iron spools above the bar. Industrial iron tables line the main dining area, with a larger wooden communal table in the middle for sharing. Beautiful wooden floors harmoniously brings the look together, alongside a patch of exposed brick in the front of the house, complete with moustache felt appliqués to warmly welcome the hipsters that come seeking refuge in this home-away-from-Brooklyn abode.

Describing The Queens Kickshaw as simply a grilled cheese spot is inadequate. The feel of the place is more reminiscent of an independent coffee shop, with a large variety of coffees in house, free wifi, and a staff that does not mind you sitting on your laptop for hours at a time. The main counter area is split by the coffee counter and the open kitchen, both of which provide seating where you can watch your sandwiches being made or your V60 Pour Over Coffee being dripped right in front of you.

interior

ceiling + light bulbs

interior hallway

communal table

Being a coffee and cider aficionado, I was so impressed over their selection of coffees and ciders. Living in Astoria, there is not much variety of coffee other than the 24 hour Dunkin’ Donuts and coffee you can get at the corner bodega. Queens Comfort offers Stumptown, which is as exotic a coffee I thought existed in this neck of the woods. That is, until I discovered The Queens Kickshaw, which serves beans from Coffee Lab Roasters based in Tarrytown, New York.  The Queens Kickshaw offers your usual espresso based drinks, along with V60 Pour Over Coffee. They also have two types of Japanese Green Tea, and you can take home one liter growlers of Cold Brewed Coffee.  I ordered the Honduras Finca Liquidambar Catuai, which according to the description has flavors of “plum, milk chocolate, subtle grapefruit, pleasant acidity.” I did not taste any of those flavors, and I am sure if you gave me a sample of each of the other coffees I couldn’t taste fig or leather either, but flowery descriptions aside, the coffee was good. My friend ordered the much talked about Iced Matcha Green Tea, which came out a vibrant shade of green, which was also good, and very potent.

pour over coffee + iced matcha green tea

The Queens Kickshaw has a plethora of craft beers, ciders, and wine to pair with your grilled cheese sandwich.  I was impressed I had never heard of the ciders offered and in awe of just how many they had.  In the United States, I am lucky to even find a bar that serves Strongbow. They also serve P&H Soda Co. syrups in all natural flavors such as hibiscus, ginger, and sarsaparilla, which they mix with seltzer once ordered.

The menu at The Queens Kickshaw is a bit limited. They have their eight signature grilled cheese sandwiches, a few cheese plates, some soups and salads, three snacks, and a mac & cheese and a stuffing as a main dish. They also have two desserts. I ordered the Gouda grilled cheese, while my friend ordered the Gruyere.  Reading the description for the Gouda sandwich made me really skeptical at first. The Gouda sandwich consists of black bean hummus, guava jam, and pickled jalapenos on brioche and comes with a green salad with a jalapeno vinaigrette.  While I do love guava and guava jam, the thought of the sweetness of the fruit mixed with the jalapenos and cheese instantly made me hate it; I am not a fan of sweet and savory combinations. I was so close to not ordering it, but heard and later confirmed with our server that it was the most popular menu item, so I had to give it a shot. And it was amazing. The guava jam does not overpower the sandwich like I thought it would, and the sweetness of the jam with the added kick of the jalapenos mixed with the cheese and buttery, toasty brioche bread gave it such a wonderfully unique flavor. The sandwich exceeded my expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of the flavors. The green side salad that came along with it was delicious as well, and I really liked how the jalapeno vinaigrette complemented my sandwich. In fact, all the grilled cheese sandwiches come with a side that has flavors which reflect the sandwich.

gouda grilled cheese

gouda grilled cheese

My friend chose the Gruyere sandwich which consisted of pickled and caramelized onions on rye with Napa cabbage-caraway slaw. The flavors of this sandwich were good, and meet expectations but it lacked the wow factor that my Gouda sandwich had.  In the words of my friend, it was good, but not a home run. The slaw that came with the sandwich had caraway seeds sprinkled throughout, which complemented the rye bread the sandwich was on.

gruyere grilled cheese

For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding, which came out warm. The bread pudding was flavorful and moist, but lacked the sauce we were hoping it would come with and the orange caramel sauce described.

bread pudding

Our server was very nice, albeit forgetful, forgetting to bring us water after we asked, and asking us what sandwiches we had ordered after taking our order. I did not mind however, as he gave us our space and time, which is congruent with the atmosphere of the place.

I was very happy with my experience at The Queens Kickshaw, and will be there again, although getting me to stray from the Gouda grilled cheese will be hard. I would like to see The Queens Kickshaw expand their menu and selection of grilled cheeses – with so many cheese options out there, it would be cool to see new combinations of sandwiches. The portions at The Queens Kickshaw are small. Even going there for lunch, I did not feel completely satisfied with just my sandwich, but ordering the bread pudding filled the void. Prices lean towards the expensive, with my Gouda grilled cheese running $10, and the other sandwiches similarly priced. As of now, it is also cash only.

I loved the ambience and décor of the place, and their selection of coffees and ciders is to be envied. I think it is awesome that you can come here and do work while enjoying a coffee, without angry stares from the servers.  The music selection is great as well; in my time there I heard two Strokes songs quietly in the background, mixed in with hip-hop from the likes of Outkast and Biggie Smalls. This is a refreshing break from the usual club music blasting in most restaurants in Astoria.  This place definitely draws in the hipster crowd, and is something you could see being in Brooklyn. The Queens Kickshaw is open at 7:30am Monday to Friday (9:00am on weekends), with sandwiches starting at 11:00am. Closing time is 1:00am.

In addition, The Queens Kickshaw also offers live music on most Friday nights, and hosts various special events, such as cider pairings during NY Cider Week.